1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a biometric measurement apparatus for generating an index showing the conditions of the blood in a living body, such as that of a human subject.
2. Description of Related Art
Hematocrit is an index showing the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by blood cells. In a case in which dialysis using an artificial kidney is performed, anemia is likely to occur because a hormone called erythropoietin, produced by the kidney, is abnormally low. For this reason, hematocrit is usually measured during dialysis for use as an index for diagnosing anemia.
During dialysis, a hematocrit measurement apparatus is provided at a blood path connecting a human body and an artificial kidney, thereby monitoring the hematocrit while performing dialysis.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 63-133062 discloses a hematocrit measurement apparatus for measuring the impedance at a high frequency and the impedance at a low frequency of the blood drawn from a human body, and for calculating the hematocrit based on the ratio therebetween.
However, this conventional hematocrit measurement apparatus requires the blood to be drawn from the human body to measure the hematocrit. Such an apparatus requires a patient to undergo a painful procedure of drawing blood, and the hematocrit is not something that can be readily measured at home.